City Hall Modifications To Cost Pines $48,000

PEMBROKE PINES -- Minor modifications are being made to the design of the new City Hall, modifications that will cost the city an extra $48,000.

The modifications are needed because the original architects for the project died before the design was finished.

City commissioners voted Wednesday to hire two new architects at an added cost of $48,000 to finish plans for the new City Hall.

The cost original design, prepared by the architectural firm Boutrese and Fabergas, was $201,600. Now it will cost $249,600.

Architect Don Boutrese died of a cerebral hemorrhage in August 1985. His partner, Andre Fabergas, had intened to complete the project, but he died of respiratory failure in December.

The new firm, Architectural Partnership Inc. of Miami Beach, is charging the city $23,000 to review existing plans and redesign the planned building. The construction company, Max South of North Miami, is receiving an additional $25,000 to accommodate those revisions.

``This is the best way out of a difficult situation,`` said S.A. Weisberg, a partner in Max South Construction Inc.

To complete the $3.2 million project with exceeding budget, Weisberg said the new City Hall will now have one vacant building for future development instead of having three buildings with excess space.

``All the vacant space will now be in one building,`` Weisberg said. ``That will save the city a substantial amount of money.``

Before casting his vote, Mayor Charles Flanagan said, ``I want to move on with the project, and I don`t want to lose anymore money.``

The current City Hall is now housed in a building bought by the city in 1976 and was intended to house offices for five years. Now it`s overcrowded.

The new City Hall will be built on a 20-acre site at the southwest corner of Pines Boulevard and Palm Avenue.

The main building will be six stories and contain most of the city`s administrative departments, including personnel, finance and offices for the city clerk, the city manager, the mayor and four city commissioners. The second building will house zoning, code enforcement offices and possibly a 250-seat City Commission chamber, conference rooms with movable walls, a glass-enclosed room for the media and a video projection area.